Once Miss Maudie explained why it was a sin to kill a mockingbird, it became clear why the book had that name. One of the big themes in this book is the gradual loss of innocence during one’s life and the discovery of evil in the world or the destruction of their lives by the evil in the world. Many people in the novel are like a killed mockingbird, average citizens who were destroyed for no good reason. A huge example of a mockingbird in the novel is Boo Radley, who used to be a polite young man until his family isolated him from the world due to their religious beliefs, now perceived as an evil monster by the children of Maycomb. A small example of a mockingbird is Tim Johnson, the mad dog that Atticus shot in chapter ten. Tim Johnson was just a normal dog living his life when he turned ill and got rabies or something, making it necessary for him to be killed. Mrs. Dubose is another example, a woman who was put on morphine by the doctor and got hopelessly addicted to it. When she wasn’t given anymore of the drug, Mrs. Dubose spent the rest of her life suffering from severe effects of withdrawal and it prevented her from living a fulfilled life.
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1 Response to “To Kill a Mockingbird (10-12)”
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I completely agree with you that there is a vast majority of “mockingbird” examples in this book. Especially people like Arthur “Boo” Radley who is known to be feared, and is constantly ridiculed. When he has done nothing wrong, he is only secluded within his home. Yet people mock and strike him down, an innocent mockingbird, “killed.” I don’t agree with your opinion of Ms.Dubose being a mockingbird because she was not innocent in my eyes. She was a racist old woman who did nothing more than ridicule the people that passed by her home. As Atticus states, “A mockingbird does nothing more than make song for us to enjoy, that is why it is a sin to kill one,” Well I doubt racist comments, and insults are “song” to anyone. Though, the mad dog “Tim Johnson” was also a mockingbird, he wasn’t providing song any longer, more so creating a threat to the people around the dog. Which, in turn made Tim Johnson not a mockingbird.